"Not exactly." He pressed his lips together, glanced down at the floor and then into her startled face. "I want you to pretend to be the woman I married *eighteen months* ago." After the way Brenda had shut him out, refusing to tell him the truth about the past six years, Jax was surprised when her crestfallen look stabbed his heart like a dagger. "Her name is Miranda," he added quietly. Unwilling to see the raw pain in her eyes, he spun away and strode quickly towards the bar at the far end of the office.

"You……" She stood rooted to the spot. "You got married?"

"Yes." Jax’s choke of anguish was drowned by the rattling sound of ice cubes he poured into a cut glass tumbler. As he poured a healthy dose of amber liquid into the glass, the angles and shadows in his face deepened. "I’m surprised that you didn’t know about it ……" He looked up and lifted the glass to her in mock salute. "Or didn’t the place where you were hiding from me for all these years in PERFECT health have a satellite dish?"

Brenda’s chin quivered ever so slightly as his verbal barb hit its target. "I *did* keep up with the news about you after……." She fought back tears, blinking rapidly and staring down at her feet. "After the accident," she finally went on. She shrugged off her down parka, tossing it onto a chair in the corner, then folded her arms awkwardly in front of her. "I felt really bad for you when I read that Jerry had……." Her voice broke. "……had died….."

The cleft in Jax’s chin seemed more pronounced than ever. "Thank you." He took a quick sip of Scotch. "After we lost Jerry, it only seemed right that I should move back here and help mum." He sighed. "It’s been really rough for her, losing my dad at such a young age and then her oldest son, too."

Brenda glanced up at the ceiling above them. "So she lives here with you?"

"Yes. It seemed like the best thing to do, especially since Wyndemere has been the only home she’s known since she was a little girl." Jax nodded tersely. "Although these days, she rarely comes out of her room anymore."

"I’m sorry….." Brenda licked her lips, then wrung her hands self-consciously. "I just……..well, as time went on, I stopped trying to keep up with you……." Her voice trailed off to an excruciating whisper. "It just hurt too much……"

Tears stung the corners of Jax’s eyes as he walked towards her, glass in hand. "Then WHY, Brenda? Why didn’t you come back if you still cared that much about me?"

"Jax……." His name came out on a sigh. "I just……..I can’t……"

He dropped his long, lush eyelashes quickly to hide the hurt that flickered in his eyes again. "You know, this really isn’t getting us anywhere, and Charles is going to be back with Mr. Tsevis any minute." Jax took another long swallow of Scotch. "There are some things I should probably tell you about Miranda…..."

"Jax, this is ridiculous!" Brenda interrupted. She spread her hands at her sides in disbelief. "What if I’m parading around here pretending to be your wife and she shows up?"

"Miranda disappeared from the island five nights ago, Brenda," Jax said in a clipped voice. He stared down into the depths of his glass, swirling the potent liquid around the ice cubes. "There hasn’t been a trace of her since."

Brenda’s voice was equally hushed. "What about the police?"

Jax squared his shoulders indignantly. "I reported it to them immediately."

"And?"

"And they haven’t found a bloody d*mn thing." Jax gripped the glass so tightly the facets cut into his palm. "No farewell note, no signs of foul play, no body……..nothing." After a few seconds of silence, he abruptly strode back towards his desk, setting down his glass as he flipped through a file.

"So I take it since you want me to pretend to be Miranda, this Mr. Tsevis isn’t some kind of policeman?" Brenda followed him to stand in front of the desk. "Or a private investigator?"

Jax finally looked up to meet her curious gaze. "Spiro Tsevis is an attorney, Brenda," he replied matter-of-factly. "He’s here to settle Victor Cassadine’s estate."

Brenda’s eyes widened. "Victor Cassadine?"

"Victor Cassadine," Jax echoed, his eyes as cold as the frigid temperatures outside Wyndemere. "Brother of Mikkos. Brother-in-law of Helena." He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Victor was Miranda’s father."

"Jax! You can’t DO this!" Brenda whispered urgently, propping her hands on his desk as she leaned towards him. "Lying to the lawyer like that and defrauding Victor’s estate is illeg……"

At that moment, the door behind them creaked as it swung open on antique hinges. In the blink of an eye, Jax rounded the desk to stand next to Brenda, slipping an arm around her waist before she could protest. Her squeak of shock died on her lips as a short, wiry man in a black wool overcoat bustled towards them.

"Mr. Tsevis!" Jax smiled broadly, extending his hand to the man. "We weren’t expecting the pleasure of your company until sometime next week!"

"Jax!" The dark-haired man returned Jax’s smile – at least, Brenda THOUGHT he did. It was difficult to see his mouth beneath the bushy handlebar moustache that graced his upper lip. "I sincerely hope that my early arrival doesn’t pose any problem for you……"

"Not at all," Jax replied smoothly. After handing his overcoat to Charles, the attorney turned towards Brenda.

"Ahhhh……Miranda – my DEAR!" This time, Brenda was SURE that Tsevis was smiling. The little man’s body vibrated with delight as he gathered her into his arms. When he pulled away from her to stare into her eyes, she somehow managed to meet his gaze. "Let me take a good look at you….."

{You can do this, Brenda. Just remember the ruby. If you do this, the Scarpetti will belong to you, free and clear.} "So……" She shot Jax a devilish wink before smiling coyly at Tsevis. "Have I changed much since the last time you saw me?"

His loud laugh would have reminded her of Santa Claus although his appearance more closely resembled Pancho Villa. "Considering that you were only 8 years old at the time, dear lady, I think I’d have to say YES!" Brenda’s echoing laugh was more inspired by relief than by the levity of his remark – maybe she could pull this off after all!

"So……" Jax walked over to the bar. "Can I offer you something to drink after your long journey here, Spiro?" He picked up a decanter of brandy and a snifter. "Something perhaps to remedy the chill of a December night?"

"I do believe I will!" Tsevis responded heartily. He turned to Brenda. "Will you be joining us, Miranda?"

Brenda froze momentarily. Did Miranda normally indulge in a brandy after dinner? She had no idea yet about Miranda’s personal habits. If she WAS going to go along with Jax’s absurd scheme, they would definitely need to sit down and have a long talk about his whereabouts-unknown wife.

Fortunately, her "husband" saved the day. "Miranda has been something of a teetotaler lately, Spiro," he said smoothly as he poured Tsevis’s drink. "Something about too many calories," Jax added, walking towards the wiry man to hand him his brandy. "Although I have to admit I can’t see a bloody thing wrong with her figure, myself!"

The heat of Jax’s gaze as it traveled her body reminded Brenda of times and places she thought she had buried. What had started out as a "good idea" – coming directly to Jax and offering to buy the Scarpetti from him – was becoming even *worse* than her nightmares.

"I agree with your husband, Miranda," Tsevis crooned, breaking the tensely electric moment between them. "It appears that marriage agrees with you!" he chortled, settling into a chair.

"Wellll, I imagine that’s because I have such a wonderful husband!" Brenda smiled. She sank into the chair opposite Tsevis in front of Jax’s desk and gracefully crossed her legs. Fortunately, the dark gray wool pants and silver satin blouse she had chosen earlier that day looked elegant enough for the wife of a billionaire recluse.

"You know, Miranda," Tsevis said, suddenly somber, "Victor had been worried about you for some time before his death." He glanced down into his drink before looking back up into Brenda’s eyes. "It was quite a blow when you got married so suddenly and didn’t even invite your father to the ceremony."

Again, Jax spoke quickly, rescuing Brenda from unknown territory. "But I thought Victor understood the situation, Spiro," he said, lifting his tumbler of Scotch slightly to emphasize his point. "I explained to him on several occasions that our wedding was a spur of the moment thing." He smiled warmly at Brenda, then continued as he settled his hip on the desk, perching next to her. "There wasn’t room for many guests on the Isabella. And let me tell you," he chuckled confidentially, "I’m STILL catching bloody h*ll from my mum for not inviting her, either!

The low conversation between Jax and Tsevis faded to a faint buzz in Brenda’s mind as she flashed back to a night over seven years earlier. She had agreed to marry Jax, and after a celebratory round of lovemaking, they lay in each others’ arms, talking into the wee hours of the morning.

"At any rate ……." The sound of Tsevis’s voice drew Brenda back to the convoluted present. "Before he died, one of the last things that Victor made me do was promise to come to America and make sure that his only daughter was happy and healthy." He sighed. "I just wish he could have lived long enough to make the trip himself." Spiro lifted his glass to Brenda with a broad smile. "It would have made him so happy to see how you’re thriving, Miranda!"

Although Jax could see the awkwardness in Brenda’s answering smile, he was gratified that Tsevis didn’t seem to catch on. "So……" He rose from the desk and walked over to the bar. "Once you settle Victor’s estate, what will you do to keep busy, Spiro?" He refilled his Scotch and then lifted the decanter of brandy in Tsevis’s direction, silently offering more. "Don’t you handle the legal affairs for Mikkos’s estate, too?"

Tsevis shook his head to decline the refill. "That’s true, Jax," he replied, crossing his legs lazily. "But the truth is, since Helena passed away, Miranda’s cousins made quite a sport out of killing one another off!" Brenda fought to keep back a shudder of distaste as Tsevis took a sip of brandy, clearly nonplussed by the violence in the Cassidine family. "With only your cousin Stefan remaining," he added, nodding in Brenda’s direction, "settling Mikkos’s estate becomes child’s play."

"So you’ll be returning to Greece, then, after you leave us?" Brenda asked, playing a hunch. "To oversee things with cousin Stefan?" When he nodded his answer, she smiled coyly at Tsevis. "Well, I may be out of line for saying this, Spiro, but you seem like the kind of man who needs more than handling one little estate to keep you busy!"

"Which is PRECISELY why I’ll be retiring thereafter, my dear!" Tsevis roared with delight. He closed his eyes blissfully. "I’ll spend a few weeks here, and then I’ll wrap things up with Stefan ….. and then I’ll be a FREE man!!" He shook his head and opened his eyes again. "Free to spend the entire day fishing or listening to music or …… or not even getting out of bed if I feel like it!"

"Sounds like heaven on earth to me!" Jax echoed, lifting his glass again. "Although," he added, his smile fading, "I wouldn’t exactly call Mikkos’s estate "little.""

"I suppose," Tsevis nodded in concession. "Yet Mikkos’s five million is still only a quarter of Victor’s estate."

As Brenda quickly tried to keep track of the growing mountain of information about Miranda and her family, Jax walked back towards his desk. Just when she thought her nerves were settling down somewhat in this elaborate game of make-believe, her "husband" settled down on the edge of the desk next to her, casually draping his free arm across her shoulder. "So…..you’ll be staying with us through the Holly Fest, then?"

"If that’s not a problem," Tsevis replied, setting his now-empty snifter down on a side table. "Victor told me how disappointed you were after not being able to plan it last year, Miranda," he added, glancing at Brenda. "So when I was consulting my calendar for this trip, I felt it was only right that I attend this year and witness your triumph first hand!"

Only Jax heard Brenda’s breath catch in her throat. "Yes, Miranda’s already been quite busy with plans for the festival," he quickly interjected, rescuing her once again. "Since we returned too late from our honeymoon last year for her to plan it, she’s been chomping at the bit to send out the invitations this year!"

"And of course, fate seems to be on our side, since my name day falls exactly in the middle of the festival!" Spiro added gleefully, rubbing his hands together as he rose to his feet. "At least we shall have some happy times to bring us together that will overshadow Miranda’s sadness at losing her father, hmmm?"

Brenda’s head was buzzing even though she hadn’t had a drop of liquor. Keeping up the charade pretending to be Miranda was difficult enough. But when Jax slowly began to trail his fingers back and forth on her shoulder, idly toying with the hair that gently brushed the first swell of her breast, she thought she would jump right out of her skin. She had dreaded this night for six years, and seeing the hurt in Jax’s eyes was no easy cross to bear. But now – to have him so near, to pretend intimacies that she had grieved over losing for so many nights in her lonely bed – well, Brenda now had no doubt that she would go to heaven, because she was already suffering her hell here on earth.

Tsevis’s sudden loud sigh echoed in the room. "I’m afraid, my dear, that the number of times zones I’ve crossed in my traveling is catching up with this old body of mine." He rubbed the small of his back. "A soft, warm bed is calling to me."

"So soon?" Brenda blinked rapidly and put on a false smile, willing away her confusion at the last thirty minutes’ turn of events. She rose to her feet, embracing Spiro once again when he reached for her. "It seems like you just got here……"

{Tsevis can’t leave. That means I’ll be alone with Jax, and he’ll start asking questions about the last six years again, and I’ll have to hurt him even more……}

"Ahhh, my dear," Tsevis crooned, holding her hands warmly, "we’ll have plenty of time to reminisce in the days ahead." He kissed her cheek and winked at her. "And then, you can tell me EVERYTHING about the past eighteen months and this rogue who persuaded you to marry him!"

"It’s a date!" Brenda laughed, even though her stomach churned at the prospect. As Jax escorted Tsevis to the door, explaining to him that Charles had already taken his bags up to his room, she walked over to one of the windows. Folding her arms across her chest to ward off a chill, she silently watched the snow fall into the darkened woods before she heard the click of the door closing behind her.

"You……..were magnificent." Jax waited until she had turned to face him to finish the compliment. "But I suppose that lies come easily to you, don’t they, Brenda?" he added, pushing his hand into the pocket of his smoking jacket as he rested his back against the closed doors of the study. She could tell that he was fingering the Scarpetti ruby while he spoke, the blue of his eyes as cold as the Arctic Ocean. "Hiding from me for the past six years has probably given you plenty of practice at creating false impressions, hasn’t it?"

Brenda took a shaky breath, fighting back hot tears that stung her eyes. "I can’t keep pretending to be Miranda, Jax," she said, shaking her head as she quickly walked towards the chair where her parka rested. "I mean, I managed tonight, but for two weeks?" She snorted sarcastically, swiping her parka into her arms. "Well, it’s just impossible……"

"Impossible?" He raised his eyebrows in surprise, then stared at her with grim determination. "Never heard of the word."

"Jax, wake up and be reasonable! This …….this stupid charade will NEVER work!" She nearly wailed in frustration as she flung her arms out to the side. When he returned a skeptical look, she settled her hands on her hips. "There are just too many ways it could all blow up in our faces!"

He folded his arms and crossed his ankles, still leaning against the door. "Like what?"

She let out a long breath, glancing to the wall of bookcases on the side as she thought, then looked back towards him again. "What if Tsevis sees a picture of the *real* Miranda somewhere in the house?"

"Won’t happen." He shook his head firmly. "Miranda hates having her picture taken. We didn’t even have a wedding portrait."

Brenda frowned. "You don’t have any pictures of the two of you together? In your bedroom, or……..anywhere?"

Jax sighed. "When we were on our honeymoon, I persuaded a bellman in one of the hotels to take a picture of us." He shook his head sadly. "Although I managed to have one print made, Miranda took the negatives and burned them." He nodded towards his desk. "That print is locked in my safe, and I’m the only one who has a key."

She chewed on her cheek. "And what about this Holly Fest thing? How am I supposed to pull THAT off?"

"It’s an annual celebration – nothing elaborate," Jax explained, walking over towards his desk. "Mostly it’s just an attempt to draw some tourists to spend their money on local delicacies and trinkets that local craftsmen produce." When he stared down at his calendar, he pointed a finger at one date. "There IS a dress ball to mark the end of the festival, but perhaps Tsevis may be gone by then."

"Didn’t you HEAR him, Jax?" Brenda spat, coming to his desk to brace her hands on it and lean towards him. "Tsevis was practically *drooling* at the prospect of being here for the festival, especially after the way Victor raved about it being Miranda’s pet project!" She shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. "I have the feeling that nothing short of cousin Stefan choking on a chicken bone is going to get Tsevis to leave us before it’s over!"

"What’s the matter, Brenda?" Pain glimmered anew in Jax’s eyes. "Are you afraid of dancing with me again at the ball?" He lifted a hand as if he was going to reach out to her, then let it fall. "Are you afraid that if I touch you again, you won’t be able…….." He paused, then abruptly blinked his eyes rapidly to fight tears. "……that it’ll hurt *you* as much as *I’m* hurting right now?"

When his voice broke, Brenda’s heart broke with it. "Jax……it’s not that." She glanced up at the ceiling, trying to regain her composure before looking him in the eye again. "What about the *people* who live in Port Charles! If they come to the ball, they’ll KNOW that I’m not Miranda!"

"Not a problem." Jax shook his head again. "Miranda very seldom leaves Wyndemere, so the people in town really don’t know much what she looks like. She really doesn’t have many friends…… or didn’t……" When Brenda heard his breath catch in his chest, he glanced down at his desk to avoid her gaze. "God, this is so ridiculous!" he finally groaned, sinking into his chair and resting his head in his hands. "I don’t know whether or not to talk about her in the past tense or the present! Is she really dead, or just hurt somewhere and needs me……"

Brenda’s shoulders slumped as the emotional rigors of the day finally caught up with her. She pressed her lips together considering what to do, then straightened and ruffled her hair with her fingers. "Jax…….I know this is a difficult time for you…….." she whispered. "But I’m just so confused about going through with this ……."

Jax echoed her sigh. "I understand, Brenda…….really, I do." When he glanced up at her, the "kicked puppy" look in his eyes was almost her undoing. Abruptly, he rose to his feet. "Maybe in the morning things will be clearer for you."

"In the morning?" As he nonchalantly walked around the desk towards the door to the study, her jaw dropped. "Jax, what are you doing?"

His face was cool and collected once again when he turned back to her. "I’m going to call Charles so that he can take you up to your room for the night."

"NO!" Brenda rushed towards him in a panic. "I mean I have to leave! I can’t stay here tonight!"

"But you HAVE to stay here now, don’t you see that?" Jax put a hand on the doorknob. "Tsevis has already seen you! He’ll *expect* to see you at breakfast tomorrow morning!"

"Well……..make something up!" When Jax tried to turn the doorknob again, Brenda grabbed his hand to stop him. "Tell Tsevis that I was called away into town to check on something for the Holly Fest!"

Jax’s chin jutted forward with determination. "It won’t work, Brenda." He gestured towards the windows. "Tsevis’s room faces the lake and the boat dock. There’s a full moon tonight. If you try to leave here and go back to town, he’ll see you and start asking questions!"

Her eyes darted around the room quickly as she searched for excuses. "But my clothes!" Brenda finally objected. "I don’t have anything with me!"

"Miranda’s things will fit you closely enough." When Jax’s gaze raked her from head to toe, Brenda felt the touch like a hot caress. "Besides, she might have written something to her father about her clothes, and we can’t take a chance of you wearing your own things."

When he opened the door just a crack, Brenda suddenly pushed it back shut again. "I CAN’T stay here for two weeks, Jax!" she insisted, surprising him with her vehemence. When he arched an eyebrow at her, she backed off slightly in the face of his curiosity. "I mean, I have ……. *appointments* to keep," she stammered, turning away from him and wringing her hands. "And there are *people* who will wonder where I am if I don’t get back to……. where I’ve been."

An electric charge ran down her arm when he reached out to turn her back to face him. "This isn’t a prison, Brenda," he said softly. "You can feel free to use the phone to call anyone …… or anyplace……."

When she saw the questions bubbling in his eyes again, she pulled away. "That’s not what I mean, Jax," she groaned, walking back towards the expanse of windows facing the lake. "I just don’t………" With a sigh, she stopped and revolved to face him again, shaking her head. "I just don’t understand why this whole thing with Tsevis is so important to you."

To her surprise, his chin trembled slightly. "Victor Cassidine’s estate is worth over twenty million dollars, Brenda," Jax replied in a low voice. "THAT’S why it’s so important."

Brenda frowned. "Twenty million dollars IS a lot of money to most people, Jax," she argued, walking towards him slowly. "But if I remember correctly, that’s just a drop in the BUCKET compared to what you’re worth."

He sighed, dropped his gaze, then raised it again to meet her curious stance. "Not any more. We’ve had some………setbacks lately." Jax reached into his pocket, withdrawing the Scarpetti ruby and holding it up to the light. "That three hundred fifty thousand I spent on the ruby was the last of my liquid assets."

Her eyes grew wide as saucers. "WHAT?"

"It’s all gone, Brenda," Jax whispered, shaking his head sadly. "Except for the ruby, I’ve got NOTHING left. I NEED Victor Cassadine’s twenty million."

"Jax, that’s just……..that’s ABSURD!" Brenda blinked her eyes rapidly as life just got more and more confusing. "The Jasper Jacks I know could make five TIMES that much money buying big corporations and chopping them up!" When he shook his head "no," she snorted her disbelief. "Or go to one of those big gambling parties like Thao used to throw and win it all back in a few hands of baccarat!"

"I don’t have the TIME for that, Brenda!" Jax insisted. He slipped the ruby back into his pocket, stared her in the eyes, and gripped her forearms tightly. "I’m involved in a project that requires substantial amounts of money every day if I’m to continue."

She shook her head and frowned again. "Then just walk away from it, Jax ……"

"I CAN’T just walk away!!" Tears glimmered in his eyes. "If I don’t continue the project, a lot of people.…….." Jax took a shaky breath and dropped his chin with determination. "I HAVE to have the money for that project, Brenda. It’s a matter of life and death."

To be continued…….